Role of primary school nutrition knowledge on learner’s food choices in Kasungu District

Abstract

Schools are considered a primary setting for implementing nutrition knowledge since they comprise of large numbers of children who frequently come to school over a prolonged period of time. As such, a school curriculum that focuses on the importance of nutrition can help learners to adopt as well as maintain healthy food choices and life styles. The aim of this study was to assess the role of primary school nutrition knowledge on learners’ food choices in Kasungu District. This was a descriptive cross- sectional study using mixed method approach. Three hundred and forty standard seven learners from twenty primary schools which were purposively selected, were involved in the study. Self-administered questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to gather information on nutrition knowledge, eating patterns of the learners and factors influencing the learners’ food choices. The results revealed that the learners had good nutrition knowledge on most of the questions (P<0.05). However, the learner’s food choices were poor because generally they liked and consumed more energy-dense and non-nutritious foods like Kamba Puffs, Chips, sweets and biscuits. Fruit consumption was low as only 41.5% of the learners consumed fruits frequently. The results also revealed that most learners skipped lunch and breakfast. In conclusion, this study has revealed that the learners had good nutrition knowledge. However, the study has shown that the learners had poor food choices, for instance, in the selection of snacks bought at school and brought from home. Therefore, having good nutrition knowledge does not warrant making healthy food choices.